Lethbridge, Alta. – Battling extreme winds at Suggitt Field, the University of Victoria women's rugby team defeated the University of Alberta, 38-12 in the Canada West semifnials, Oct. 19 at the Lethbridge Community Sports Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Opening the scoring in the ninth minute, a quick set of passes worked their way left to Lucie Romeo, who quickly turned on the jets to record the first try of the day and put the Vikes in front, 5-0.
- A penalty try awarded to Alberta gave the Pandas the 7-5 lead in the 13th minute.
- Two Pandas defenders attempted to trap Lucie Romeo in the 31st minute, but Romeo broke through their attempt and made it all the way to the end zone for the Vikes' second try of the day. A successful convert from Maggie MacKinnon brought the score to 12-7 in favour of UVic, which would hold until the half.
- Starting the second half with the ball, the Vikes used their opening possession to extend their lead to 17-7 with a try from MacKinnon in the 41st minute.
- Using a scrum to push forward and gain some ground, a quick pass out to Olivia Newsome allowed her to quickly get over the line for the try. With a successful MacKinnon convert, the Vikes' lead increased to 24-7 in the 49th minute.
- The Pandas put a try on the board in the 53rd minute, bringing the score to 24-12, still in favour of Victoria.
- Once again breaking through oncoming Pandas tackles, Romeo left the defenders in the wind to touch the ball down between the posts. MacKinnon's convert extended the Vikes' lead to 31-12 in the 66th minute.
- A breakaway run from Romeo put the final try of the day on the board in the 69th minute, and with two points from MacKinnon's convert, sealed the Vikes' win at 38-12.
WORTH NOTING
- With the win, the Vikes will advance to the gold medal match for the third-straight season.
- Romeo's four tries doubled her regular-season scoring total (two tries).
- The Vikes sit at 4-2 overall on the season after starting the postseason 1-0.
UP NEXT
The Vikes face the winner of the University of British Columbia versus University of Lethbridge game in the gold medal match Sunday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. MT at the Lethbridge Community Sports Stadium.
